Chapter 1835

Mrs. Santos glanced upstairs. “Mr. Wilfred went straight to bed after coming home, but I noticed he’s having nightmares again. Honestly, I think you should-”
Before she could finish, Karina rushed past her, ignoring the protest.
Mrs. Santos tried to stop her, but it was no use.
Karina sprinted up the stairs and pushed open the bedroom door, her heart clenching at the sight before her.
Wilfred, who was usually so composed and aloof, lay on the bed, visibly distressed. His eyes were tightly shut, his face drenched in sweat, and his lips were pressed together so hard they were turning pale. Karina knelt by the bed, gently taking one of his hands in hers. It was so cold that it sent a chill through her.
“Wilfred, can you hear me? It’s Karina. I’m here. Wake up,” she urged softly.
But he didn’t respond.
Karina took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She placed her palm against his cheek and spoke in a soothing tone. “It’s just a nightmare. That’s all it is. Wake up, and it’ll all be over. Don’t be afraid.” Yes, she could tell he was scared.
The thought was almost unbelievable. If Wilfred’s rivals or someone like Harley ever heard about this, they wouldn’t believe it for a second.
Even Karina had doubted Mrs. Santos’s words at first. But now, seeing Wilfred like this shattered her idealized image of him.
Shock gave way to something else entirely-an overwhelming sense of heartache.
“Please, wake up,” she whispered. “You haven’t even eaten yet. Let’s get up and have some dinner first.”
When he didn’t stir, she gently wiped the sweat from his face with her hand.
But the next second, his eyes flew open.
In an instant, Karina felt a surge of strength in his grip. Pain radiated from her arm as everything spun around her. Before she realized it, she was pinned to the bed, Wilfred’s hand tightening around her neck.
“Wilfred!” she gasped, her breath cut off. “Look at me! It’s me!”
Her voice came out strained, every word forced through clenched teeth as her air supply dwindled. But Wilfred didn’t seem to hear her.
Karina’s vision began to blur, her head growing dizzy. She recognized the signs of oxygen deprivation. “This isn’t Wilfred-this is his dream,” she figured.
He was sleepwalking, and if she didn’t snap him out of it soon, she wouldn’t survive.
Desperation took over. Karina grabbed the pillow beside her and struck him with it as hard as she could.
Normally, Wilfred’s sharp reflexes
would have allowed him to block or
dodge it effortlessly. But in locke
his
dreamlike state, he took the blow
without flinching.
The impact seemed to jolt him awake.
Slowly, clarity returned to his eyes.
When Wilfred realized his hand was around Karina’s neck, he recoiled in horror, releasing her as though he had been burned. Karina gasped for air, coughing as she tried to steady her breath.
Wilfred backed away, retreating into the shadows of the unlit room. The faint light from the floor-to-ceiling windows cast a dim glow, revealing his expression-a mix of shock and guilt.
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But the hesitation in his eyes quickly hardened into a mask of cold indifference.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice distant and emotionless.
Karina lifted her gaze, stunned by the icy look in his eyes. “I… I was worried about you. I came to check if you were okay. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Wilfred replied coldly. “But this is my home. I don’t appreciate people barging in uninvited. You should leave.”
He turned his back to her, his voice devoid of warmth.
For the first time, Karina saw how cold and unfeeling his retreating figure could be.
Maybe it was the lingering fear from her near-death experience, but a wave of hurt and sadness swelled in Karina’s chest.
“Why is he treating me like this?” she wondered.
She had come because she was worried about him.
Her eyes stung with unshed tears,
but she sniffled and forced herself to
hold them back. “I understand.
overstepped. I’m sorry,” she said
softly.
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